Prevent Silverware From Tarnishing With This Aluminum Foil Hack

Billions of us use cutlery every day, however, opening up your cutlery drawer to find tarnished silverware is nothing short of disappointing. Now, your once shimmering utensils have nothing more than a dull, metallic finish to them. Thankfully, it turns out there's actually an effortless way you can prevent it from happening — say hello to aluminum foil! When placed in the draw with your silver knives, forks, and spoons, this kitchen staple is ideal for preventing tarnishing on a daily basis. 

As well as combatting this pesky problem, it's also incredibly cheap and saves you from taking other, more expensive routes to solve the issue. Of course, this will also save you money from having to replace the silverware in the future. Moreover, this crafty technique is relatively easy to implement and should only take a few seconds — so, how exactly do you use the aluminum foil to your advantage?

All you'll need for this hack is your clean, tarnish-free silverware and some aluminum foil. Simply line your drawer or tray where you normally keep your cutlery with aluminum foil, before placing your silverware back inside. You can even add an extra layer on top if you wish. You shouldn't need too much foil — just enough to ensure that it covers all areas underneath the silverware so that there's plenty of coverage. Now, all you need to do is wait and monitor the results. You will be able to tell if it's working when your silverware remains sparkling for several months. 

So, how exactly does it work? Well, it all boils down to chemical processes. Sulfurous gas that lingers in your kitchen (for example from chicken or eggs) can leech onto your silverware, per Government of Canada. However, the aluminum foil essentially works like magic to combat this. Instead, it attracts any sulfur to the aluminum rather than the silverware, and it's this process that helps to prevent your silverware from tarnishing.